System, method, and article of manufacture for maintaining and accessing a whois database

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided for maintaining and accessing a whois database. In one embodiment, modifications to a registrar database that includes information about domain names are tracked, and based on the tracked modifications, one or more records that include modified information about the domain names are identified. Unique identifiers for the identified one or more records are determined and are used to reflect the modifications in the whois database. The modifications are tracked on a real-time basis and are reflected in the whois database on an hourly or a real-time basis.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.09/894,904, filed Jun. 29, 2001, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/215,763, filed Jun. 30, 2000, thecontent of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a whois database, and moreparticularly, a system, method, and article of manufacture formaintaining and accessing a whois database.

2. Background Information

In recent years, the Internet has experienced explosive growth andsuccess mainly because it provides users with quick access to a vastarray of resources through web sites setup by organizations andindividuals. Each web site may have a web address or a hierarchicaladdress (e.g., www.networksolutions.com) that a user may use to accessthe web site. A hierarchical address may include a host name and adomain name (e.g., networksolutions.com).

Before a domain name is activated, however, one must register a domainname with a registrar (e.g., Network Solutions, Inc.) and provide to theregistrar registration information, such as domain name, name, address,administrative contact, technical contact, billing contact, and nameserver information, The registrar may store the registration informationin a registrar database and provide some or all of the registrationinformation to the Internet registry responsible for maintainingregistered domain names.

The registrar may also store some or all of the registration informationin a whois database, which many users use to obtain domain nameinformation. For example, one may query the whois database to determineif a domain name has already been registered by someone else or toobtain other information, such as contact information for theadministrator of a domain name. Domain name information may includeregistration information and other related information, such as the dateand time when a record is last updated. Although the whois database isgenerally used for obtaining domain name information, it may also beused to obtain information about persons, name servers, hosts, etc.

One problem with the present whois database, however, is that itsinformation may not be current because of delays in copying currentregistration information from the registrar database. For example, on agiven day, the registrar may process several new registrations. Inaddition to new registrations, a registrar may modify or delete severalrecords existing in the registrar database. Then, at the end of the day,the registrar may make a copy of the entire registrar database, and fromthe copy of the registrar database, the registrar may copy theregistration information for each record into a whois database. Thistwo-stage copy process may take a substantial amount of time (e.g., afew hours or even days in some instances) depending on the size of theregistrar database. Moreover, in some cases, the registrar database mayinclude other information in addition to registration information, suchas information on products and employees, and thus the copying processmay take even more time. Furthermore, in some cases, the registrationinformation may need to be converted into another format before it iscopied into the whois database, thus causing further delays intransferring the registration information to the whois database.

SUMMARY OF A FEW ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

To address the above and other problems of the prior art, methods andsystems are provided for maintaining and accessing a whois database.Such methods and systems track modifications to a registrar databasethat includes information about domain names. Based on the trackedmodifications, one or more records including modified information aboutthe domain names may be identified. Then, identifiers for the identifiedone or more records may be determined and the modifications may bereflected in the whois database based on the determined identifiers. Themodifications may be tracked on a real-time basis and may be reflectedin the whois database on an hourly or a real-time basis. The whoisdatabase may be accessed using, for example, a Java databaseconnectivity (JDBC) interface.

A flat file database and index files from the whois database may also begenerated so that information, including domain name information, can beretrieved from the flat file database instead of the whois database.

Both the foregoing and the following description are exemplary andexplanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of theclaimed invention as opposed to limiting it in any manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part ofthis specification, and together with the description, explain theprinciples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a system, in accordance withmethods and systems consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a registrar computer, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram of a whois computer, in accordancewith methods and systems consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram of a service computer, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the steps performed by anupdate process in a whois computer, in accordance with methods andsystems consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the steps performed by awhois service process in a service computer, in accordance with methodsand systems consistent with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary block diagram of another whois computer, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention; and

FIG. 8 is an exemplary block diagram of another service computer, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the invention refers to theaccompanying drawings. While the description includes exemplaryembodiments, other embodiments are possible and changes may be made tothe embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. The following detailed description does not limit theinvention. Instead, the appended claims and their equivalents define thescope of the invention.

Methods and systems are provided to facilitate maintenance and access toa whois database. In one embodiment, a system may include one or moreclient computers, a registrar computer, a whois computer, and a servicecomputer. The registrar computer may include a registrar database thatincludes registration information, such as domain name and name andaddress of the owner of this registered domain name. Whenever a recordis added, deleted, or changed in the registrar database, a databasemanagement system or another process on the registrar computer may writethe identifier corresponding to the added, deleted, or changed record inan audit file.

From the audit file, an update process running on the whois computermay, either periodically or on a real-time basis, extract theidentifiers and update a whois database located on the whois computerby, for example, adding, deleting, or changing the information in therecords corresponding to the identifiers.

In addition, a user at the client terminal may request information, suchas domain name information from the service computer, which in turn mayrequest the information from the whois database. The whois computerretrieves the requested information and sends it to the servicecomputer, which may then display it to the user. Both the whois computerand the service computer may include a java database connectivity (JDBC)interface for processing these requests.

In another embodiment, the whois computer may include a dump process tocreate a flat file database from the whois database and an index processto create one or more index files for retrieving data from the flat filedatabase. In addition, the whois computer not limit the invention.Instead, the appended claims and their equivalents define the scope ofthe invention.

Methods and systems are provided to facilitate maintenance and access toa whois database. In one embodiment, a system may include one or moreclient computers, a registrar computer, a whois computer, and a servicecomputer. The registrar computer may include a registrar database thatincludes registration information, such as domain name and name andaddress of the owner of this registered domain name. Whenever a recordis added, deleted, or changed in the registrar database, a databasemanagement system or another process on the registrar computer may writethe identifier corresponding to the added, deleted, or changed record inan audit file.

From the audit file, an update process running on the whois computermay, either periodically or on a real-time basis, extract theidentifiers and update a whois database located on the whois computerby, for example, adding, deleting, or changing the information in therecords corresponding to the identifiers.

In addition, a user at the client terminal may request information, suchas domain name information from the service computer, which in turn mayrequest the information from the whois database. The whois computerretrieves the requested information and sends it to the servicecomputer, which may then display it to the user. Both the whois computerand the service computer may include a java database connectivity (JDBC)interface for processing these requests.

In another embodiment, the whois computer may include a dump process tocreate a flat file database from the whois database and an index processto create one or more index files for retrieving data from the flat filedatabase. In addition, the whois computer may include a copy process tocopy the flat file database and index files to a service computer. Thewhois computer may create and copy the flat file database and indexfiles on a periodic basis, for example, hourly. When a user at a clientterminal requests information, the service computer may use the indexfiles to retrieve the requested information from the flat file databaseand present the retrieved information to the user.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a system 100, in accordance withmethods and systems consistent with the present invention. System 100may comprise one or more client computers 102, a registrar computer 104,a whois computer 106, a service computer 108, and a firewall 110.Registrar computer 104 may interface whois computer 106 via a network112; whois computer 106 may interface service computer 108 via a network114; and client computers 102 may interface registrar computer 104 orservice computer 108 via a network 116.

Each client computer 102 may include a computer or any other processorcapable of communicating with other computers. A user may use clientcomputer 102 to perform various tasks, including registering domainnames with registrar computer 104 and requesting information, such asdomain name information from service computer 108. Client computer 102may include a browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigatorto assist the user in performing these tasks.

Registrar computer 104 may include a computer or any other processorcapable of communicating with other computers. For example, registrarcomputer 104 may include a Sun Enterprise 5500 Server available from SunMicrosystems, Inc. A registrar may use registrar computer 104, which maystore registration information for a domain name, to register new domainnames, change domain name information, or deactivate domain names.

Whois computer 106 may include a computer, such as a Sun Enterprise 4500server or any other processor capable of communicating with othercomputers. Whois computer 106 may include domain name information,including a copy of the registration information stored on registrarcomputer and other related information, such as the date and time when arecord is last updated. Whois computer 106 may provide this informationto other computers upon request.

Service computer 108 may include a computer, such as a Sun Enterprise250 server or a personal computer or any other processor capable ofcommunicating with other computers. Service computer 108 may receivefrom other computers requests for domain name information and processthese requests, for example, by requesting the information from whoiscomputer 106.

Firewall 110 may include a conventional firewall to protect againstunwanted attempts to gain access to whois computer 106 and registrarcomputer 104.

Each of networks 112, 114, and 116 may include a Local Area Network(LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). In addition, the networks may alsoinclude a combination of public (e.g., Internet) and private networks.

Other system and network configurations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art and are also within the scope of the presentinvention. For example, system 100 as shown in FIG. 1 may include morethan one registrar computer 104, one whois computer 106, and one servicecomputer 108 to provide load balancing and fail-over capabilities.Likewise, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that a singlecomputer may perform the functions performed by registrar computer 104,whois computer 106, and service computer 108. Moreover, it will beapparent to one skilled in the art that the components shown in FIG. 1may use various protocols, such as Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP)and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) tocommunicate with each other.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of registrar computer 104, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention. Registrar computer 104 may comprise a processor 202, whichconnects via a bus 204 to a memory 206, a secondary storage 216, anetwork interface 218, and an input/output interface 220.

Memory 210 may include an operating system 208, a registration process210, a registrar database 212, and an audit file 214. Memory 210 mayalso include a relational database management system, such as Ingresavailable from Computer Associates International, Inc.

Operating system 208 may include, for example, the Solaris operatingsystem available from Sun Microsystems, Inc. Registration process 210may include stored instructions in the form of software, which areexecuted by processor 202. Registration process 210 may include anyconventional process used by a registrar to register domain names,change domain name information, and deactivate domain names. Registrardatabase 212 may include any type of database, such as a relationaldatabase and may include registration information obtained from a userduring registration and other registrar information, such as employeeinformation. Each record in the registrar database 212 may have anassociated unique identifier.

Audit file 214 may include information about modifications to registrardatabase 212. Modifications may include additions, deletions, andchanges to the records stored in the registrar database 212. In oneembodiment, audit file 214 may be generated by a database managementsystem, such as Ingres, running on registrar computer 104. In anotherembodiment, audit file 214 may be generated by a process running inmemory 206 that can track changes to registrar database 212. Regardlessof which component generates audit file 214, it may track themodifications to registrar database 212 on a real-time basis.

Secondary storage 216 may comprise a computer readable medium, such as adisk drive and a tape drive. From the tape drive, software and data maybe loaded onto the disk drive, which can then be copied into memory 206.Similarly, software and data in memory 206 may be copied onto the diskdrive, which can then be loaded onto the tape drive.

Network interface 218 may transmit messages from registrar computer 104to other computers, such as client computers 102 and whois computer 106and receive messages addressed to registrar computer 104 from othercomputers, for example, via networks 112 and/or 116. Input/Outputinterface 220 may include, for example, a key board or a key pad and adisplay unit.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram of whois computer 106, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention. Whois computer 106 may comprise a processor 302, whichconnects via a bus 304 to a memory 306, a secondary storage 316, anetwork interface 318, and an input/output interface 320.

Memory 306 may include an operating system 308, a whois database 310, anupdate process 312, and a whois database interface 314. Memory 306 mayalso include a relational database management system, such as Oracle 8iversion 8.1.6 available from Oracle Corporation.

Operating system 308 may include, for example, the Solaris operatingsystem. Whois database 310 may include any type of database, such as theOracle 8i database. Each record in whois database 310 may include domainname information along with an associated unique identifier. Updateprocess 312 may include stored instructions in the form of software,which are executed by processor 302. Update process 312 may read auditfile 214 to determine the modifications to registrar database 212 andmay update whois database 310 to reflect the modifications. Whoisdatabase interface 314 may retrieve information from whois database 310in response to requests received from other computers, such as requestsfor domain name information and may send the retrieved information tothese computers. Whois database interface 314 may include, for example,a Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) server side application programinterface for processing the requests.

Secondary storage 316 may comprise a computer readable medium, such as adisk drive and a tape drive. From the tape drive, software and data maybe loaded onto the disk drive, which can then be copied into memory 306.Similarly, software and data in memory 306 may be copied onto the diskdrive, which can then be loaded onto the tape drive.

Network interface 318 may transmit messages from whois computer 106 toother computers, such as registrar computer 104 and service computer 108and receive messages addressed to whois computer 106 from othercomputers, for example, via networks 112 and/or 114. Input/Outputinterface 320 may include, for example, a key board or a key pad and adisplay unit.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram of service computer 108, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention. Service computer 108 may comprise a processor 402, whichconnects via a bus 404 to a memory 406, a secondary storage 412, anetwork interface 414, and an input/output interface 416.

Memory 406 may include an operating system 408 and one or more instancesof whois service process 410. Operating system 408 may include, forexample, the Solaris operating system, the Linux operating system, or aWindows operating system (e.g., Windows NT). Whois service process 410may include stored instructions in the form of software, which areexecuted by processor 402. Whois service process 410 may receiverequests for domain name information and process these requests byrequesting the domain name information from whois database 310. Whoisservice process 410 may also include, for example, a Java DatabaseConnectivity (JDBC) client side application program interface forprocessing the requests.

Secondary storage 412 may comprise a computer readable medium, such as adisk drive and a tape drive. From the tape drive, software and data maybe loaded onto the disk drive, which can then be copied into memory 406.Similarly, software and data in memory 406 may be copied onto the diskdrive, which can then be loaded onto the tape drive.

Network interface 414 may transmit messages from service computer 108 toother computers, such as client computers 102 and whois computer 106 andreceive messages addressed to service computer 108 from other computers,for example, via networks 114 and/or 116. Input/Output interface 416 mayinclude, for example, a key board or a key pad and a display unit.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the steps performed byupdate process 312, in accordance with methods and systems consistentwith the present invention. Update process 312 may connect to registrarcomputer 104 and read audit file 214 (step 502). Audit file 214 mayinclude information about modifications to registrar database 212, suchas unique identifiers for every record that has been added, deleted, orchanged in a given time period, for example, the last two hours. In oneembodiment, audit file 214 may include information in binary form andthus, update process 312 may convert the information from binary form toASCII form or may request another process, such as a database managementutility tool to convert the information from binary form to ASCII form.

Next, update process 312 may extract all the unique identifiers fromaudit file 214 (step 504). In one embodiment, if registrar database 212includes information other than registration information, such asproducts or employee information, update process 312 may only extractthe unique identifiers associated with the registration information. Inthis embodiment, depending on the type of database, update process 312may use certain information unique to the registration information toretrieve the unique identifiers. For example, if registrar database 212is a relational database, update process 312 may use the name of thetable containing the registration information to extract the uniqueidentifiers from audit file 214.

Once the unique identifiers have been extracted, update process 312 mayreview all the extracted unique identifiers and discard any duplicateunique identifiers (step 506). For example, during a given time period,a record may be updated twice and thus audit file 214 may contain theunique identifier for this record twice. To avoid multiple updates,update process 312 may discard one of the two unique identifiers.

After discarding any duplicate unique identifiers, update process 312may select a unique identifier from the extracted unique identifiers andquery registrar database 212 to determine if the selected uniqueidentifier has a corresponding record in registrar database 212 (step508). If the registrar database 212 does not have a corresponding recordin registrar database 212, update process 312 may delete the recordcorresponding to the unique identifier in whois database 310 (step 510).After deleting the record, update process 312 may review the extractedunique identifiers to determine if the update process needs to berepeated for another unique identifier (step 524). If update process 312determines that the update process does not need to be repeated, updateprocess 312 may terminate (step 524). On the other hand, if updateprocess 312 determines that the process needs to be repeated for anotherunique identifier, update process 312 may repeat the process (steps 524and 508).

If, on the other hand, update process 312 determines that the selectedunique identifier does have an associated record in registrar database212 (step 508), update process 312 may retrieve the information storedin the record from the registrar database 212 (step 512). Then, updateprocess 312 may query whois database 310 to determine if whois database310 includes a record corresponding to the unique identifier (step 514).If whois database 310 does not include a record corresponding to theunique identifier, update process 312 may add a record to whois databaseusing the information retrieved from registrar database (step 516).After updating whois database 310, update process 312 may review theextracted unique identifiers to determine if the update process needs tobe repeated for another unique identifier (step 524). If update process312 determines that the process does not need to be repeated, updateprocess 312 may terminate (step 524). On the other hand, if updateprocess 312 determines that the process needs to be repeated for anotherunique identifier, update process 312 may repeat the process (steps 524and 508).

If whois database 310 includes a record corresponding to the selectedunique identifier (step 514), update process 312 may retrieve theinformation stored in the record from whois database (step 518). Afterretrieving the information, update process 312 may compare thisinformation with the information retrieved from registrar database 212(step 520). Then, based on the comparison, update process 312 may updatesome or all of the information in the record stored in whois database310 (step 522). For example, if during the comparison, it is determinedthat the address information does not match, update process 312 mayupdate whois database 310 with that information. Alternatively, if aregistrar prefers updating all the information in a record stored inwhois database 310, all the information in the record may be updated(step 522).

After updating whois database 310, update process 312 may review theextracted unique identifiers to determine if the update process needs tobe repeated for another unique identifier (step 524). If update process312 determines that the process does not need to be repeated, updateprocess may terminate (step 524). On the other hand, if update process312 determines that the process needs to be repeated for another uniqueidentifier, update process 312 may repeat the process (steps 524 and508).

Update process 312 may use any type of language, such as structuredquery language (SQL) to retrieve information from registrar database 212and whois database 310 and to update whois database 310. Moreover,depending on the registrar, update process 312 may run many times duringa day. For example, in one embodiment, update process 312 may run on areal-time basis so that the modifications in registrar database 212 arereflected in whois database 310 on a real-time basis. In anotherembodiment, update process 312 may run on an hourly basis, reflectingthe modifications in registrar database 212 in whois database 310 on anhourly basis.

Furthermore, update process 312 may select the portion of audit file 214for a time period different from the one it selected before. In anotherembodiment, update process 312 may tag audit file 214 so that updateprocess 312 does not repeat the update process for a record that hasbeen previously updated. In still another embodiment, the program thatgenerates the audit file may generate a new audit file 214 after aspecific time period, eliminating the need to select a time period or totag audit file 214. Instead, update process 312 may access a new auditfile 214 every time it runs.

In addition to the unique identifier, audit file 214 may also indicatewhether a record has been added, new, or changed. In this example, ifaudit file 214 indicates that a record corresponding to a uniqueidentifier is new, update process 312 may retrieve the record fromregistrar database 212 and add it to whois database 310 without queryingregistrar database 212 or whois database 310. Similarly, if audit file214 indicates that a record corresponding to a unique identifier hasbeen deleted, update process 312 may delete the record in whois database310 without querying registrar database 212. Finally, if audit file 214indicates that a record has been changed, update process 312 mayretrieve the information associated with the record from registrardatabase 212 and update whois database 310 with the retrievedinformation.

In another embodiment, in addition to including unique identifiers,audit file 214 may indicate whether a record has been changed, added, ordeleted. If a record has been changed or added, audit file 214 mayinclude information about the change and the new record. In thisembodiment, update process 312 would not retrieve information fromregistrar database 212 and may instead rely on audit file 214 todetermine the change or added record.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that if a record in thewhois database 310 is related to another record, for example, in aparent-child relationship, update process 312 may update the childrecords first before updating the parent records. Likewise, it will beapparent to one skilled in the art that update process 312 may updateone record at a time or update multiple records at one time.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the steps performed bywhois service process 410, in accordance with methods and systemsconsistent with the present invention. Whois service process 410 mayreceive a request for domain name information from a user at a clientcomputer 102 (step 602).

Whois service process 410 may receive the request and reformat it intoone or more SQL statements (step 604) and send the SQL statement(s) towhois database interface 314 (step 606). Whois database interface 314may in turn retrieve the requested information from whois database 310by executing the SQL statement(s).

Once the requested information has been retrieved, whois databaseinterface 314 may send to whois service process 410, a response thatincludes the requested information. Whois service process 410 may thenreceive the response, reformat the response if needed and display it tothe user (steps 608 and 610).

If the requested information is not found in the whois database 310,whois database interface 314 may send a response indicating that therequested information does not exist in the whois database 310. Whoisservice process 410 may then display a message to the user indicatingthat the requested information does not exist in the database.

In another embodiment, systems and methods consistent with the presentinvention may provide a flat file database and index files forretrieving information, such as domain name information. In accordancewith this embodiment, a system, for example system 100, may include thewhois computer shown in FIG. 7 and the service computer shown in FIG. 8instead of whois computer 106 and service computer 108. The whoiscomputer may create a flat file database and index files from a whoisdatabase periodically, for example, every two hours. Once a flat filedatabase and index files have been created, the whois computer may copythem to the service computer. The service computer may receive requestsfor information, including requests for domain name information, fromother computers, such as client computers 102 and process these requestsby using the flat file database and index files located on the servicecomputer.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary block diagram of whois computer 700, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention. Whois computer 700 may comprise a processor 702, whichconnects via a bus 704 to a memory 706, a secondary storage 724, anetwork interface 726, and an input/output interface 728.

Memory 706 may include an operating system 708, a whois database 710, anupdate process 712, a dump process 714, a flat file database 716, anindex process 718, one or more index files 720, and a copy process 722.Memory 706 may also include a relational database management system,such as Oracle 8i version 8.1.6, available from Oracle Corporation.

Operating system 708 may include, for example, the Solaris operatingsystem. Whois database 710 may include any type of database, such as theOracle 8i database. Each record in whois database 710 may include domainname information along with an associated unique identifier.

Update process 712, dump process 714, index process 718, and copyprocess 722 may include stored instructions in the form of software,which are executed by processor 702. Update process 712, like updateprocess 312, may read audit file 214 to determine the modifications toregistrar database 212 and may update whois database 710 to reflect themodifications. Dump process 714 may retrieve information stored in whoisdatabase 710 and may create a flat file database 716. Flat file database716 may be a conventional flat file database that includes records withno structured relationships. Index process 720 may create one or moreindex files 720. Index files 722 may be conventional index files thatmay include a list of keys, each of which may identify a unique recordin flat file database 716. Copy process 722 may copy flat file database716 and index files 720 to a service computer, for example the servicecomputer shown in FIG. 8.

Secondary storage 724 may comprise a computer readable medium, such as adisk drive and a tape drive. From the tape drive, software and data maybe loaded onto the disk drive, which can then be copied into memory 706.Similarly, software and data in memory 706 may be copied onto the diskdrive, which can then be loaded onto the tape drive.

Network interface 726 may transmit messages from whois computer 700 toother computers, such as registrar computer 104 and service computer 108and receive messages addressed to whois computer 700 from othercomputers via, for example, networks 112 and/or 114. Input/Outputinterface 728 may include, for example, a key board or a key pad and adisplay unit.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary block diagram of service computer 800, inaccordance with methods and systems consistent with the presentinvention. Service computer 800 may comprise a processor 802, whichconnects via a bus 804 to a memory 806, a secondary storage 816, anetwork interface 818, and an input/output interface 820.

Memory 806 may include an operating system 808, flat file database 810,one or more index files 812, and one or more instances of whois clientprocess 814. Operating system 808 may include, for example, the Solarisoperating system, the Linux operating system, or a Windows operatingsystem (e.g., Windows NT). Flat file database 810 and index files 812may include copies of flat file database 716 and index files 720 locatedon whois computer 700. Whois client process 814 may include storedinstructions in the form of software, which are executed by processor802. Whois client process 814 may receive requests for domain nameinformation and may process the requests by retrieving the requestedinformation from flat file database 810 using index files 812.

Secondary storage 816 may comprise a computer readable medium, such as adisk drive and a tape drive. From the tape drive, software and data maybe loaded onto the disk drive, which can then be copied into memory 806.Similarly, software and data in memory 806 may be copied onto the diskdrive, which can then be loaded onto the tape drive.

Network interface 818 may transmit messages from service computer 800 toother computers, such as client computers 102 and receive messagesaddressed to service computer 800 from other computers via, for example,networks 114 and/or 116. Input/Output interface 416 may include, forexample, a key board or a key pad and a display unit.

If a system includes whois computer 700 and service computer 800, a userat a client computer may request from whois client process 814information, including domain name information. Whois client process 814may in turn search the index files 812 to obtain the identifiercorresponding to the requested information. Once it has obtained theidentifier, whois client process 814 may retrieve the information fromflat file database 810 using the identifier and display the retrievedinformation to the user. If whois client process 814 cannot locate theidentifier, it may display a message to the user indicating that therequested information does not exist in the database.

The above-noted features, other aspects, and principles of the presentinvention may be implemented in various system or network configurationsto provide automated and computational tools for maintaining andaccessing a whois database. Such configurations and applications may bespecially constructed for performing the various processes andoperations of the invention or they may include a general purposecomputer or computing platform selectively activated or reconfigured byprogram code to provide the necessary functionality. The processesdisclosed herein are not inherently related to any particular computeror other apparatus, and may be implemented by a suitable combination ofhardware, software, and/or firmware. For example, various generalpurpose machines may be used with programs written in accordance withteachings of the invention, or it may be more convenient to construct aspecialized apparatus or system to perform the required methods andtechniques.

The present invention also relates to computer readable media thatinclude program instruction or program code for performing variouscomputer-implemented operations based on the methods and processes ofthe invention. The media and program instructions may be those speciallydesigned and constructed for the purposes of the invention, or they maybe of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in thecomputer software arts. The media may take many forms including, but notlimited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks.Volatile media includes, for example, dynamic memory. Transmission mediaincludes, for example, coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves,such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red datacommunications. Examples of program instructions include both machinecode, such as produced by compiler, and files containing a high levelcode that can be executed by the computer using an interpreter.

Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications and variations can be made in the system andmethod of the present invention and in construction of this inventionwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Forexample, instead of audit file 214 and update process 312, registrationprocess 210 or another process on registrar computer 104 may update thewhois database 310 whenever registrar database 212 is modified.Likewise, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that multipleinstances of a process (e.g., registration process 210) may run on acomputer in system 100.

Moreover, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practiceof the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specificationand examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope andspirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A whois system in communication with a registrarsystem that includes a registrar database having a plurality of domainname records and an audit file having a plurality of unique identifiers,each unique identifier corresponding to a modified or deleted domainname record within the registrar database, the whois system comprising:at least one processor; at least one whois database having a pluralityof domain name records; and stored instructions adapted to be executedby the processor to perform a method, the method comprising: extractingthe plurality of unique identifiers from the audit file; and for eachunique identifier: determining whether a first domain name record thatcorresponds to the unique identifier exists within the registrardatabase, if the first domain name record exists, retrieving the firstdomain name record from the registrar database, determining whether asecond domain name record that corresponds to the unique identifierexists within the whois database, if the second domain name recordexists, retrieving the second domain name record from the whoisdatabase, comparing the first domain name record to the second domainname record, and updating the second domain name record, within thewhois database, based on the first domain name record.
 22. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the method further comprises: if the first domain namerecord does not exist, deleting the second domain name record from thewhois database.
 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the method furthercomprises: if the second domain name record does not exist, adding thefirst domain name record to the whois database.
 24. The system of claim21, wherein the method further comprises: discarding duplicate uniqueidentifiers from the plurality of unique identifiers
 25. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the modified or deleted domain name record consists ofan added domain name record, a deleted domain name record and a changeddomain name record.
 26. The system of claim 25, wherein the audit fileincludes an indicator associated with each unique identifier, theindicator consisting of an added indicator, a deleted indicator andchanged indicator.
 27. The system of claim 21, wherein the audit fileincludes modified domain name information associated with each uniqueidentifier.
 28. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of uniqueidentifiers is associated with a time period.